Successful return for Al Zubair-Schiller (Al Manar Racing Mercedes)

Al Faisal Al Zubair and Fabian Schiller came back to the GT Open for their second outing of the season and took their second win in a warm and lively Race 1 at the Hungaroring. The pair of the al Manar Racing by GetSpeed Mercedes won the lively final battle ahead of the Eastalent Racing Audi of Stefan Reicher-Christopher Haase and the Oregon Team Lambo of Maximilian Paul-Pierre Louis Chovet, who led for a long while but was passed at the very end and dropped to third after a 5-second penalty for refueling with the engine on.

Sam De Haan-Charlie Fagg (Optimum Motorsport McLaren) finished fourth ahead of Diego Menchaca-Marco Siebert (Motopark Mercedes) who dropped out of the final top-3 after a spin and a 18-second penalty for not serving the entire handicap.

De Haan-Fagg keep the points leadership (58), four units ahead of Reicher-Haase and seven ahead of Menchaca-Siebert.

In Pro-Am, Marco Pulcini-Eddie Cheever (AF Corse Ferrari) took their second success of the season, ahead of Steve Jans-Axel Blom (GetSpeed Mercedes) and the pole-setter Bonaldi Motorsport Lambo of Martin Kodric-Andrzej Lewandowski.

Heiko Neumann and Timo Rumpfkeil (Motopark Mercedes) dominated in the Am class, beating Giuseppe Cipriani (Baron Rampante Lambo) and Kiki San Nana-Adam Osieka (GetSpeed Mercedes).

THE RACE – The Lambo Huracans were back on the forefront, thanks to the pole position signed by Martin Kodric. The Croat narrowly keeps the advantage at turn 1 ahead of Basz, who has passed Cheever and Paul, but there are contacts in the middle of the group at turn 2, notably between Barr and Kolb, with Jousset, Baron, Jedlinski and Cozzi spinning shortly after.

The safety car is deployed and at the restart, Kodric leads ahead of Basz, Paul, Cheever, Al Zubair, Arrow, Siebert, Jefferies, Schirò, Reicher, De Haan and Rumpfkeil (first in Am), while Müller and Schell get in contact further down the order.

By lap 10, Kodric has a 2-second advantage on Basz, followed by Paul, while the nicest battles are between Cheever and Al Zubair for fifth and between Arrow and Siebert for sixth. A sudden slowdown would have Basz dropping down to fifth while in lap 15, the pit stop window opens.

After all stops, it is Chovet leading, but under investigation for a possible pit stop infringement, with 1.3 seconds over Menchaca, 4.4 on Pulcini, then Schiller, Lewandowski, Haase, Perolini, Fagg and Neumann, firmly in the lead of Am. Soon after, Schiller takes third from Pulcini, later passed by Haase too.

The final laps see Chovet, Menchaca and Schiller in full fight, but Menchaca has been given an 18-second penalty for not serving the full handicap, while Chovet will receive a 5-second penalty for refueling with the engine on right before the flag. On the track, in any case, Schiller will overtake both Menchaca, who spins right after, and Chovet, who is passed also by Haase, eventually second.

Fagg is fourth ahead of Menchaca and Agostini, while Pulcini holds to win in Pro-Am ahead of Jans and Lewandowski.

OVERALL STANDINGS AFTER ROUND 4 OF 23

Overall: 1.De Haan-Fagg, 58 points; 2. Haase-Reicher, 54; 3. Menchaca-Siebert, 51; 4. Al Zubair-Schiller, 42 ; 5. Marinangeli-Agostini, 25 ; 6. Chovet-Paul, 18 ; etc

Pro-Am: 1. Cheever-Pulcini, 26 ; 2. Jans-Blom, 24 ; 3. Kodrić, 22 ; 4. Rosi-Schirò, 21 ; 5. Au-Cairoli, 20 ; etc

Am: Neumann-Rumpfkeil, 32 points ; 2. Saada-Grunewld, 28 points; 3. Kirchmayr-Baron, 23; 4. Cipriani, 22 ; 5. Nana-Osieka 21 ; 6. Cozzi-Sernagiotto, 16 ; etc

Teams: . Optimum Motorsport, 36 points; 2. Eastalent Racing, 34; 3.Motopark, 31; 4. Al-Manar GetSpeed, 28; 5. AF Corse, 13; etc